Russia's replace for McDonald's has run out of fries for months - days after customers complained about mouldy burgers.
The 'Tasty and that's it' fast food chain, which was established in a rush after the US fast food giant abandoned Russia over the Ukraine invasion. will stop serving one of the key ingredients meals, local media says.
It has been blamed on a 'shortage' of the type of potatoes used forcing diners to opt for a different side accompaniment to their main dish of burgers and nuggets.
The firm says it expects to have the side dish back on menus come autumn.
McDonald's, the well known fast food chain pulled out of the country in protest after 30 years.
All restaurants were than sold to a Russian tycoon and reopened last month under the name 'Vkusno i Tochka' name which means 'Tasty and that's it'
However after it opened its doors, fries and rustic potatoes' which are thicker than French fries may also be taken off menus.
The firm said that 2021 brought a poor potato harvest of the type needed to make fries.
Usually potatoes are supplied by Russian producers, but it had not been possible to import potatoes as a temporary replacement to the domestic varieties.
In a statement on on Telegram titled 'There are potatoes - and that's it', the country's agriculture ministry tried to play down fears over a potato shortage.
It read: "The Russian market is fully supplied with potatoes, including processed ones.
"In addition, crops from the new harvest are already arriving, which rules out the possibility of a shortage,"
The first McDonald's restaurant opened in Moscow in 1990 which suggested Soviet Russia seeking closer ties with the West.
But more than 30 years later McDonald's pulled out of the country along with scores of other Western firm, in protest at Russia's invasion of Ukraine.
It is now facing under wide-ranging sanctions from the west which has disrupted supply chains and forced a rise in unemployment in the country
The Russian economy is expected to shrink by up to 10% in 2022.
Earlier this month The Mirror told how its rebranded restaurants were serving mouldy burgers to customers after McDonald's left the country over the Ukraine invasion.
Vkusno & Tochka's opening was not been the smoothest after some customers complained of mould on their burger buns, while others found cheese sauces were months out of date.
Russian politician and celebrity Ksenia Sobchak said on her Telegram channel: “Vkusno i Tochka sells mouldy burgers.
But diners complained of mould on the buns of their burgers in several outlets, according to Ksenia Sobchak, a popular TV celebrity and the Russian opposition's most prominent female politician.
Separately, 'insect legs' have also been found in the Russian burgers.
Ms Sobchak said on her Telegram channel: “Vkusno i Tochka sells mouldy burgers.
“It looks like they don’t quite honour the standards of McDonald’s, at least in terms of product quality control.
“Today at least three cases were recorded of burgers with mouldy buns sold to customers."
The rebranded restaurant sold 120,000 burgers on its opening day after the US giant pulled out of the country over its actions in Ukraine.
The iconic golden arches were pulled down from shop fronts across multiple locations in and around Moscow after more than three decades of operation in Russia.
